From the kitchen to the racetrack and back again

Goulash

The great thing about cold weather is slow cooked, homely food. As the Other Half’s parents were cooking on Sunday evening, I decided to use the weekend to make something with slow cooked beef. Originally I had planned on doing boeuf bourguignon but that somehow changed to beef goulash.

I don’t have a slow cooker but I do have a cast iron pot and a wood burner so I duly lit the fire, started cooking and then left the goulash to do its stuff for about 6 hours, stirring occasionally when I hurled an extra log on the fire. The house smelt amazing and was nicely warm, despite the inclement weather outside.

First of all fry the onion and peppers gently in some oil for about 10 minutes until softened then add the garlic and stir.

Add the beef and continue stirring until the meat is browned before mixing in the paprika, making sure everything is coated. Add the tomatoes and rinse the tin with a little hot water, stir in the water and a crumbled stock cube, then squeeze in the tomato puree. Bring to the boil, then cover and either cook on a low heat for 2 hours or slow cook for 6 hours.

Before serving, add the sour cream and mix well. We had the Goulash with mashed potato but you could serve with rice or spatzle.